Abstract
Turning it around
We recently had a work experience student in our practice, and he spent an afternoon shadowing me. At the end of a long surgery, he asked me what my favourite part of the afternoon was. After our chat, I was surprised by how buoyed my mood was by talking about an aspect of the afternoon I had enjoyed. Where I had previously felt under pressure (from timings, admin and an added audience), I was left feeling pleased with the job I had done, and positive about my day.
There is no escaping the fact that times are tough in healthcare, especially in general practice. With rhetoric around workforce crises, funding and workload (e.g. Baird et al., 2016), we can often put added pressure on ourselves by worrying about ‘pulling our weight’ as part of the team. This heady mix can often result in a working day feeling like it has been overwhelming, stressful, unsatisfactory or downright unpleasant.
There is plenty of advice ‘out there’ on how to turn a bad day into a good one, and they often start with the premise that we can choose our mood (Gallo, 2015). While there may be a certain element of truth in choosing how to respond to stimuli, we cannot choose what we are faced with, and after a while, the intensity of this can wear away at our ability to ‘choose’.
Getting stressed is going to happen. Instead of trying to deny it, interrupt it. By interrupting negative thoughts with a simple question, such as ‘what was good/made you happy/satisfied/fulfilled today?’ can have the power to turn your, or someone else’s, day around.
A review and synthesis of evidence around wellbeing concluded that there are five key actions that can contribute to wellbeing: Connecting with others; staying active; pausing to take notice; keep learning; and give something altruistically (Aked et al., 2008). By taking the time at the end of the day to connect with someone, and ask them what was good about their day, and taking time to notice what was good about yours, you can both give the opportunity to turn someone else’s day around, as well as help yourself.
Wellbeing is not a series of events or memes, it is the ongoing cultivation of a mindset that realistically acknowledges the pressures you are under, and prioritises means of managing and mitigating this. At this year’s RCGP Annual Conference, the AiT Committee will launch a new campaign: #GP5aDay, building on the five ways to wellbeing (inspired by #Teacher5aDay). The overall campaign will consist of information and resources collated and distributed by the College, as well as activities coordinated by regional faculties and on social media.
The aim is to promote wellbeing, and a positive image around cultivating active, healthy, coping strategies. An important part of this is to find and inspire role models. The next time a day is going pear-shaped for you, a colleague or your team: pause at some point, and turn it around with a question, smile or hug.